


The Tape From Tomorrow

by Kittyinkypaws



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby Steven Universe, Gen, PTSD mentioned, Post-Episode: s04e11 Three Gems and a Baby, Post-Episode: s06e19 I Am My Monster, Time Travel, future steven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23850880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittyinkypaws/pseuds/Kittyinkypaws
Summary: Greg finds a video tape in his van, addressed to one ‘Greg Universe’. It’s definitely not what he was expecting to watch tonight, but it’s given him a lot to think about in the future.
Comments: 34
Kudos: 239





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dadzawaiscanon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadzawaiscanon/gifts).



> This story is not my idea, it came from a set of prompts by Connverseforever here on AO3, if you want some ideas you can always have a look at what they’ve got written!
> 
> Also I’m starting this out as a one-shot but I plan to continue, especially if people are interested!

It had been a long, long day. Steven, despite the cute little baby he was, had been unusually fussy, wriggling about and crying at the drop of a hat, his usually smiley little mouth constantly twisted into an upset little ‘o’. When Greg _finally_ managed to bundle him up and set him off to sleep while he drove around in front of the car wash a seagull had suddenly landed in his window and started squawking loudly, awakening the poor child yet again!

What could he do with him? Oh... he wished Rose was here. Even with him making so much noise she would love Steven so much, just like Greg did. Greg could imagine her allowing Steven to suck on her fingers playfully, telling him endless tales of things she’d seen to assist him in dropping off, or cradling him in her arms, her long curly pink hair serving as a soft blanket for the baby.

What could _Greg_ do for Steven, though?

Perhaps he could put on a movie for them both? 

Hmm... Greg didn’t have many ‘baby friendly’ options... He liked sci-fi, or action, or mystery, or anything with good music and characters who didn’t obey the rules, or let themselves be held back. It was nice, watching them follow their dreams just like he had.

Right when Greg had lost his patience, as he was about to give up and sing Steven yet _another_ made-up lullaby (he’d long since ran out of real ones) he came across a tape he didn’t recognise. It was labelled with a rather wobbly ‘For Greg Universe’. It was almost crying out for the man to watch it. Greg was certain he’d never seen it before! It looked brand new, as if it had only recently been put there. For lack of something better to do (and pure curiosity) he popped it into the tape player, hoping that it would somehow magically calm down his sweet little Stevie.

The screen fuzzed a bit, before becoming a sideways image of a sandy floor (the beach? This seemed like a video Rose and Greg had made Steven, was this from Rose?) that then tilted the right way up, revealing a young man, or perhaps a teenager. Maybe 16 or 17? Definitely not from Rose then.  
The teenager was wearing wearing a bright neon pink jacket, looking as if he had thrown it on last minute, jeans and a dark black top with a yellow star. Was that a Mr Universe shirt? Greg kept tones of those in his storage shed. Somewhere. This video must have been made quite a while ago then (though the tape had looked rather new), as he hadn’t given out such shirts in many years. He didn’t remember giving a shirt to this particular kid either, but it had been a long time ago now, perhaps he just didn’t remember.

The adolescent also had dark curly hair; a sweet little mop (much like his son’s own hair) amost resembling a rose’s petals. Wow, Greg couldn’t stop thinking about Rose today...

The man also had a bright... almost fake, but especially hopeful, smile with equally bright but also rather tired eyes. They were slightly red around the rims, as if he’d been crying. Somehow he still managed to look like an overall cheerful person. Every movement he was was met with a small wince, as if the young man in the video was stiff, or in some kind of pain.  
He licked his lips nervously and rubbed the back of his head before speaking.

“H-hey!” His tone was very nervous, as if he wasn’t sure what to say. “Hey Dad... Greg. It’s me, Steven! Your... son.” Greg blinked. What? This was a joke, right?  
He peered at the small child wriggling in his arms. They did look similar, but Steven was just a _BABY_. This had to be a joke. Amethyst could shape shift, was she messing with him again? She knew that Greg hated that. Gem stuff was always just so weird, shape shifting especially.  
“I know you are confused right now but _please_ don’t freak out. I-I’m from the future. Well, this tape is anyway.” Definitely a joke, most definitely a joke. “You are probably showing this to the gems, that’s fine if Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl... (and little Steven, though I should be a baby), want to watch. Maybe it’s a good idea, actually?” This person, who claimed to be his son, knew about the gems! Even their names. Did that mean that there could be some truth in what he was saying? 

Unless this _was_ Amethyst? But... from all he’d experienced Amethyst was always purple when she changed shape, and always had her purple gem showing on her chest. This person had neither the colour or the gem.

Wait, _should_ he be showing this to the gems, instead of just watching it in the van with his restless son?

“Please don’t turn off the tape, I’m not...” (possibly) future-Steven seemed to blush a bit before continuing. “Crazy. Or a f-f-fraud.” The man on the tape took a breath. “I’m going to explain, ok? So, I have this Hour-Glass of time, a very special piece of gem technology” he held up a rather cracked looking small circular hour-glass. It looked like it had been glued together a bit...

Was that duct tape as well?

“It’s broken, _I_ can’t travel with it, but I made sure it could go back enough to ensure that I’m still just a baby with this tape coming along with it. I probably shouldn’t say too much, because of the space time... thingy or something.” Grey chuckled despite himself. (His son?) didn’t really seem to understand the technology he was trying to explain to him. “But before I say anything else, I really don’t want anyone to forget Lapis, Bismuth, Lion, Peridot and Spinel.” The person on the screen blushed again, expression unrecognisable for a second. Regret? Anger maybe? Fear? “A-and Jasper.” He gulped, obviously nervous. “You can find Lapis in a mirror in Pearl’s gem, fix her with the fountain tears, but let her go to Homeworld, if she still wants to. She will bring back Peridot and Jasper. I think, so long as this happening early doesn’t mess up the timelines, or something. If not wait until I’m 13. Peridot will like the earth, you just have to earn her love for it, and then she will stand up for Earth as a Crystal Gem, I promise. And she will help with the cluster.” Who on Earth was he talking about? _What_ on Earth was he talking about? This all sounded like nonsense to Greg.

Perhaps the gems _should_ see this...? But then if it was somehow a prank (though the chances of that kept diminishing severely) he’d look pretty silly.  
“Jasper will be hard to convince, but... please try. I don’t want...” the blush returned with a vengeance. It was almost abnormally pink, like the jacket. Though it could have been the camera, sometimes they messed with the colour a bit, didn’t they? “Yeh... anyway, Lion is in the dessert. He is pink, if you are having trouble finding him. He’s in the desert with the sand... stone thing? I can get inside his mane, so I’ll have to do this, inside it is a bubble with a gem in it. Pop it but please _do not_ let the gem inside take me to her forge. She means well, but needs to understand that Crystal Gems don’t cross certain lines. The gems will know Bismuth. Pearl, you may have to inform Bismuth of who she was working for. Really.” The young man looked at the camera meaningfully. “You’ll find a way to do it. The team will be ok with it, eventually, just make sure you all talk it out, even to me, please?” He sounded a little desperate at the end of that statement, Greg thought. His voice became more determined when the adolescent spoke again. “Spinel is... on a space garden somewhere. Pearl knows about her, find her somehow. She’s been waiting for 6000 years for someone who will never come, and this time I want her to come to earth for good reasons. I don’t want her heart to break this time around.” Should Greg be taking notes? Would this be like one of those action movies where the message self-destructed upon completion?

“And... me... uhh... I’m not gonna lie. A lot happened. During my childhood that is. I... hope I’m making the right decision by doing this...” it sounded like he had gone against someone’s advice. It was all so wild, this whole video. Yet somehow it appeared to be rather authentic? The little details; the almost camera shy actions, all the blushing and the rubbing of the back of his head with his hand.

“I know you _want_ me to live with the gems but... I need to be older before certain... _things_ happen. I’ve really messed up... I _am_ messed up.“ he seemed to think for a second, and decided to try a different tactic, probably realising that that wasn’t the best language to use. “I have PTSD and anxiety... and whatever else they are saying.” He mumbled ‘depression’ under his breath, Greg was sure of it.

Even with the hesitation this was still _all_ said as if it were the most normal thing in the world, as if he were bored of the topic, but it woke Greg up considerably, though at 5pm he should probably be awake anyway. “I was diagnosed only the day before yesterday after I... Had a... gem breakdown?” That could explain why he looked so exhausted.

Wait...

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? What had his son gone though (if indeed this was his son, though this seemed like nothing the gems would joke about) to traumatise him? “Gems don’t understand humans. I was put in so many left threatening situations that... I don’t know how to react to small problems without acting like my life is in danger? A-and I don’t know how to look after myself, just other people? So I wanted to ask that you look after me. Send me to school, if you want, though I didn’t mind missing that. Mostly. Pearl can help teach me. B-but definitely take me to the doctors. Even if it’s only once a year or something. Even if my bones heal themselves, if I break them I’d rather have them looked at this time.” What? “When you come into some money later on maybe consider buying a house? You like living in a van, I know but... but it’s not the best place to raise a child. Sorry.” He laughed awkwardly. “D-don’t let me drive it when I’m mad.” This sounded like a much more serious matter than a laugh warranted, especially as he cringed as he said it, flushing again. “I... I just want it to be better. For everyone. I know that... me being like this has caused... stress and people to get hurt. I wish I could just erase it all. So I’m giving you a chance. P-please take it.” 

“Steven?” A voice called off camera. “What are you doing? I thought you were resting? Where are you?” Was that Pearl? It sounded like it, she also had notes or worry in her tone. Steven (maybe?) stiffened. Then quickly explained to the camera “t-they might not want me messing around with time and stuff, but I just wished they never got hurt.” Didn’t he say he was the one who got hurt? Got traumatised? Why was he doing this just for them then? “Please consider keeping me. Steven, out.” Almost as an afterthought, just as a precaution maybe, Steven lifted up his shirt, revealing the shiny Rose Quartz gemstone underneath. Pink and lively. That was Steven all right, unless there were other kids with gemstones implanted in their stomach in place of their bellybutton. Greg looked over to his current son in his arms and unbuttoned his playsuit. He immediately calmed down considerably, settling into a sleeping position, giggling a bit before dropping off. Perhaps his gem had needed to ‘breath’ again?  
the man in the video, _Steven_ , dropped the shirt, allowing it to cover up his gem again. “J-just so you believe me.” He explained, regarding why had decided to show it in the first place. The camera once again tilted, giving Greg a lovely view of Steven’s bare feet, before stopping completely. 

Wow. 

His son would... Umm... had? Been though so much that he was traumatised?

Take a deep breath.... in and out.... in and out... oh stars, he was panicking, wasn’t he?

In hindsight letting a young child live with three aliens who literally had weapons inside them, along with little to no idea how human life worked was probably a bad idea.

No, scratch that! Stars, it was a horrible idea!  
Perhaps he could train how to use his gem with them but _live_ _full time_ with them? Alone? Maybe Greg should join him? Perhaps they could build a house, as they had spoken about after Steven’s gem had started glowing occasionally, with several bedrooms. One for Greg and one for Steven. Greg would even crash on the couch if necessary. Or they could live in the van.  
Perhaps Greg could scrape together enough money to buy a camper van, he could always do it up and they could live in that until Greg could afford a house.  
Anything to help Steven. He would protect his son from whatever the world threw at him, no matter what. 

Ohhh boy. Greg had a _lot_ to think about now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg shows the gems the video.
> 
> It’s much easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!  
> I was pleasantly surprised with the response to the previous chapter (thanks for the comments and kudos) and have definitely decided to continue this story and see where it goes, though I don’t unfortunately have a clear plan I think I know where I want this timeline to go. :)

“A... future video.” Garnet repeated, not seeming too bothered. Or that convinced.

“Yes! I found it in my van! He says he is Steven from the future!” Amethyst poked little Steven’s cheek, provoking a series of giggles as the child reached toward her.

“I thought you said he couldn’t speak!” She said, lifting Steven up (not quite carefully enough for Greg’s standards, so he lifted him up into his own arms). 

“Yes, but it’s from the future, he’ll be able to speak then! Please watch it!” Pearl crossed her arms, pointy nose turned up.

“I don’t believe it. You want him to not live with us because some random video told you to? You can’t keep Ro-Steven away from us!”

“Awhile ago you didn’t even want to see him! Greg countered. Pearl blushed blue. Greg just shivered. They were by the temple, not in the protective hands though, so the light evening winds and setting sun effected the temperature greatly. Hopefully Steven wouldn’t get too cold. Vidalia had warned him that babies could get ill easily. They’d already had to wait awhile for the gems to appear.

“Look, I’ve got a TV in my van, come on!” Pearl hesitatingly followed after Garnet started walking down, and Amethyst continued begging Greg to be allowed to hold ‘little Rose’ the whole way there, easing the tense atmosphere a little. Sometimes it felt like the gems hated him because he’d taken Rose away. _Especially_ Pearl. The others were cool, though he felt a little nervous around Garnet. The fact you couldn’t see her eyes with those tinted glasses made him nervous; she could be staring right at him, and Greg wouldn’t know. After Carefully setting Steven on the very curious Amethyst’s lap he put the tape in. Once again there was the sand, then future Steven’s face. 

At the sight of it Garnet sat up, suddenly paying full attention. 

_“H-hey! Dad... Greg. It’s me, Steven!”_ The tape began. Pearl rolled her eyes. Amethyst was interested, mostly, but only Garnet seemed to be giving it her undivided attention. 

“See, what did I..I . EYE!?” Greg began, before Garnet removed her glasses, distracting him. He blushed, feeling rude. She was an alien, it wasn’t weird that she had 3 eyes... right? And Rose had told him she was a fusion, two gems stuck together. The ultimate display of love. One he still regretted the fact that he couldn’t replicate. “W-w hat did I tell you?” He avoided looking at her face, returning his gaze to the screen.

_“I know you are confused right now but please don’t freak out. I-I’m from the future. Well, this tape is anyway.”_

“Garnet? We aren’t going to believe this, are we?” Pearl looked desperately at the fusion, who just continued watching.

“I dunno, looks legit to me!” Amethyst held Steven up to compare the two. If that wasn’t really Steven on the tape it at least had to be a relation of his. The same curly hair, smiley mouth (though the one in the video looked a little more nervous and forced), same head shape, everything. 

“And he said to show you guys, he wouldn’t if this weren’t real!” Greg tried to convince them, as Steven on the video showed them the ‘hourglass of time’.

“I believe it. My future vision confirmed it.” Garnet had stretched it to its limits, only grasping onto a small image of grown up Steven, approximately 15 or 16 years from this current point it time. He was... surrounded by the diamonds.... they were all smiling. The Crystal Gems were there too, posing for a photograph. A very likely timeline, though she couldn’t see or imagine the events that could lead to such things. Had they somehow... disbanded the gem empire?

“Wow! Did you see his cheeks just glow pink?” Amethyst interrupted. “You said humans didn’t change colour!” 

“They don’t, I think it’s just a trick of the light.” Greg responded.

“I still don’t think it’s real.” Pearl stubbornly repeated. Of course she’d judge _anything_ Greg said or did, he huffed slightly from his seat.

_“But before I say anything else, don’t forget Lapis, Bismuth, Lion, Peridot and Spinel. A-and Jasper.”_

“There is the pink again! Humans _do_ change colour!“ The Steven in the video went on to explain about Lion and Bismuth and Peridot and Jasper and Lapis and Spinel. Details a random human couldn’t possibly know. 

“S-Steven?” Pearl didn’t believe it. It had to be him from the future, or at least another gem from the future. How else would they know all these details? Especially the face they’d implied they knew who Rose was. Garnet had said...

_“And... me... uhh... I'm not gonna lie. A lot happened. During my childhood that is. I... hope I’m making the right decision by doing this..._ _I know you want me to live with the gems but... I need to be older before certain... things happen. I’ve really messed up... I am messed up.... I have PTSD and anxiety... and whatever else they are saying.”  
_

“Aha! This is just so he doesn’t live with us!” Pearl leapt up, pointing at Greg, eyes glistening slightly. 

“I didn’t make this!”

“Well it doesn’t matter if it _is_ real, we wouldn’t let Steven be hurt!”

“My future vision would prevent any injuries from coming to Steven.” Garnet added.

“It’s not about physical injuries, post traumatic stress disorder is something mental, due to experiences you’ve had and stuff!” Greg countered, not caring or noticing that he was shouting in front of Steven, who was now crying a bit in Amethyst’s lap.

“Like corruption?” Pearl shook her head. “That can only be done by the dia-“ oh. Ohh...

“No, it’s a human thing,” Few. Less explaining then. “Please, I don’t want my son to get hurt! If he wants to live with me, then he can! I’m not _making_ him do anything!” 

“You _are_ trying to make him stay away from us so _**you**_ _have Rose for **yourself**_!!” Even the tape was quiet after this statement, having ended during their argument. 

“That’s _enough_ Pearl.” Garnet had her visor back on and was looking (most likely? It was hard to tell) at Pearl disappointedly. 

“No! He’s just... I....” She clasped her hands over her mouth.

Greg was trying to take Steven away JUST like he’d taken Rose away. How unfair was that? She had spent her whole life since her emergence with Rose, following her, saving her. But she couldn’t save her from herself. From leaving to make this child. But she could protect the child she had become. Subconsciously she noticed she had summoned her spear, as if to protect the small child from nonexistent threats. It was pointed at Steven, by pure coincidence, surely, at his gem which she could so easily wedge out and return Rose to herself. Greg looked in horror at this, and then frowned.

“I’m not trying to keep him away from you.” Greg repeated, quieter this time. “I just want him to not get hurt! I didn’t make the video! But... it does sound like being near you gems hurt Steven. And if keeping him away from you protects him then I’m fine with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pearl is very defensive over Steven. Unfortunately that had kind of backfired for her here, hasn't it?
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed reading this!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gems finally visit Greg and Steven again.

Greg occasionally wondered, as he watched his little son begin to toddle, or heard him babble his first word (Dad, he was proud to note), if he’d made the right choice alienating the gems from their lives. Well, They _were_ actual _aliens_ , alienating them really was very reasonable.

(Plus, they’d never liked Greg much, and they couldn’t possibly like him after he’d helped Rose to leave. He sometimes couldn’t forgive himself for that. But then one look at his beautiful baby boy set him back on track.)

But... then again Steven was half alien too, wasn’t he? He had a shiny little gem in his stomach, which occasionally glimmered and shone when the boy was extremely happy, though he seemingly never noticed.  
What if he started developing powers like Rose? She could practically fly, and had a shield and stuff, though he hadn’t pestered her for details, though many he’d seen firsthand.

Once when he was waiting to see her a corrupted gem had appeared out of nowhere, and in his surprise he’d fallen over and badly scraped both his knees. Rose had actually cried when she’d seen his injuries, poofing the gem and then letting her tears fall onto him as she apologised profusely, having ‘forgotten humans were so fragile’. They’d healed instantly, without even a scar left to show for it. Though he’d had to wash his trousers in his friend’s machine after, and then he’d had to cut them into shorts as they were to shredded to continue wearing as trousers. Would Steven be able to do that? (The healing thing, not the trousers thing. Oh stars, what was he gonna dress that child in?)

What would happen if the gems weren’t there to train him how to use those powers?

But then he remembered that night he showed them the video. Pearl had had her pointy spear aiming right for Steven as Amethyst practically held him upside down, not caring for his safety at all. She’d looked ready to rip the gem OUT of Steven, and that couldn’t be good for the little fella. She’d claimed loudly afterwards, as he packed up his van to leave, that she was _protecting_ him, _shielding_ his gem, not meaning to be aiming towards him, it was just a little mistake.

But how many ‘Little’ mistakes until he got hurt and became the tired, weary Future-Steven in the video, telling tales of gems they’d had to fight and the consequences that came with it? PTSD. Anxiety. He’d even quietly mention depression.

As he’d left with a silently bawling Steven (who apparently liked being held practically upside down by the immature purple gem) Garnet had told Pearl to ‘Calm down’ and that she should ‘give them space and he’ll come back’. She sounded so confident in this that it sort of irritated Greg. It reminded him of what his parents had said when he left. Well little did Garnet know he didn’t _have_ to come back, Greg didn’t need them! 

But would Steven?

He’d rewatched the video several times that night, and found it odd. Future-Steven kept repeating that he wanted it to be better ‘for everyone’. Not himself, he said that he knew ‘that... me being like this has caused... stress and people to get hurt‘. What about Steven? He’d been hurt? Didn’t he care about _that_? Wasn’t _he_ the one who was stressed? He’d looked tired to the bone in that video, even worse than Greg was after an all mightier with Steven.

A few months after the incident, when Steven had started to toddle about (causing all sorts of cute mischief) the gems finally took it upon themselves to visit him, erasing his need to see them. They were there to apologise, Greg hoped. 

He decided to be cordial, like his parents had drilled into them. He was thinking about his parents more and more since that video. Should Steven have some other mire human family, especially if he wasn’t seeing the gems? But they were _so_ controlling, which little Steven definitely didn’t need. He’d never have to cut his hair, eat meatloaf or do anything he didn’t want to. Unless it was something likely to hurt him, of course.   
Anyway, Greg figured that the gems must miss Steven, if they’d come to see him. So: manners.

“H-hi, y’all.” He felt slightly embarrassed to have just driven off in a huff, especially in retrospect when they were actually standing in front of him at the car wash, in the full light of day. All his anger and irritation sort of just evaporated into nothing.

“Hey Greg!” Amethyst immediately went towards the van, likely to look for Steven. Apparently she had missed him. Perhaps they _were_ here to apologise?

Nope.

“Amethyst. We are just here to get the tape.” Pearl looked away from Greg, a tight expression on her face. It was just _so_ mush like the cold way she’d acted towards him the first time they’d come to see Steven, before she’d started to feel love and protection for the child. It was like they were back on square one.

“What?” Greg felt his anger and irritation seep back into him. They didn’t want to apologise, or even see Steven. They just wanted a tape that could help them find gems Steven wanted them to find. They didn’t care if Steven was ok, or if he’d missed them or anything.

“We gave you space, but we need the tape.” Garnet explained.

“Space?! What about Steven?!” They didn’t respond. Garnet shifted her visor. She smiled, as if she’d found some kind of magical solution.

“He’ll be fine.” 

“But you don’t want to see him?” Garnet and Pearl seemed to waver at that. 

“I do miss Ro-Steven.” Pearl admitted quietly. She had to admit that Steven was adorable. She could see him from where she was standing. Amethyst had opened his little playpen that Greg had made for him (mainly out of folded chairs) and somehow gotten hold of Greg’s van keys (he hadn’t gotten round to purchasing a more permanent residence yet, funds weren’t in his favour). Remembering that Steven loved them when he was younger she’d stared waving them about. Steven, the cheerful little boy he was, began to giggle and babble half words at the keys, trying to dance about a bit on his unsteady little feet. In response, pleased by Steven’s obviously happy reaction, Amethyst waved them about even more. She even shape shifted her other hand into keys, but sadly they didn’t produce the same noise.

“And Steven is clearly a gem. We need to help take care of him too.” Garnet added. She didn’t have to add that she’d missed Steven too.

“Maybe we can find a way he can live with me but still train with you? When he’s old enough, of course. A kinda... compromise?” 

“That would be desirable.” And so the three gems, one human and a toddler all sat down and played together and talked. There _was_ a lot to talk about. Some things that needed to be changed for Steven’s benefit. But they could do it, thanks to a little present sent from the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnd... that concludes this little au. I might do one more chapter, just a little one, about what happened next perhaps a glimpse into this timeline’s version of the future. Not sure if it’s better left as it is or?
> 
> Anyway thanks for baring with my writing and I really hope that you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you enjoyed this! Thanks for reading!


End file.
